Tottenham: Thomas Frank calls for Champions League squad rules change after 'extremely difficult decision' | OneFootball

Summer signing had to be left out of squad to cater to regulations

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Thomas Frank called for UEFA to reconsider the rules on Champions League squad size after Tottenham left Mathys Tel out for the league phase of the competition.

Six first-team players therefore had to be left out, with some of those decisions made easier by injuries. Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison are long-term absentees, while Radu Dragusin and Kota Takaki have also been left out after injury issues of their own.

Tel was signed permanently for £30million in the summer but he too did not make the cut, meaning he will not feature in the Champions League until at least the knockout stages.

Frank admitted that was a tough call to make, as he voiced his frustration at the restrictions put on him by UEFA rules.

"Yeah, I think, first of all, that was an extremely difficult decision to make," Frank said.

"I also think, in many ways, it was a bit unfair. I also think that the UEFA Champions League lists are not big enough. We know the load on the players is getting bigger and bigger. We have said it many times, we are hopefully playing 60-plus games. That's without international games.

"So some of them can be involved in up to 70 games. So I think that we need probably a bigger squad. I can't understand why we need to limit ourselves.

"I actually like the idea of the club-trained players. I think it's a good thing, every team needs to develop their own players.

"So I think that's good. Of course, that limits us a little bit as it stands. Hopefully, we get it after that, but because we had a less number, I had to make a decision now instead of making a decision before a team selection."

Tel bounced back from that disappointment by scoring twice for the France U21s during the international break, having had a phone call from Frank to discuss his Champions League exclusion.

The Frenchman insisted he is not looking for "revenge" to try and prove Frank wrong, and the Spurs boss praised Tel's response to the disappointment.

"Now I need to name [the squad] before I really know Mathys and I think he's done well," Frank said.

"I just had to take a tough decision. I think he's been extremely mature. He's 20-years-old. The way he handled it, the way he trains, everything about him, extremely impressive."